How Can Pakistani Businesses Protect Themselves from New Social Media Threat?

A new phishing scam targeting Facebook business pages has raised concerns among companies globally. Pakistani businesses therefore must stay vigilant against such threats to safeguard their operations. Experts from a famous cybersecurity company, Kaspersky uncovered the scam. According to them, hackers are impersonating Meta for Business accounts by sending emails to businesses, claiming the recipient’s page violates Facebook policies. Afterward, the victims are directed to fake Facebook Messenger accounts, where scammers attempt to steal business credentials. This new phishing tactic is highly sophisticated involving email mimicry. Kaspersky’s anonymized data indicates that such emails started reaching users on December 14.

To protect themselves, businesses in Pakistan should adopt the following measures:

• By examining the “From” field in the email it can be noticed that the domain does not belong to Facebook. According to Kaspersky, emails used in the phishing campaign were sent from different domains.
• Users must confirm messages from official channels only. Facebook’s support team may ask you to authenticate communication.
• Businesses must enable two-factor authentication, which allows them to add extra login layers to reduce risks of unauthorized access.
• Businesses must always use updated software to ensure protection against known vulnerabilities.
• There should be secure backups of critical data to prevent data loss in attacks.

Cyberattacks on the Rise:

Cyberattacks in Pakistan have increased in recent months and the latest reports highlight a 114% increase in financial malware attacks in 2024. In addition, businesses also face growing ransomware and spyware threats. In addition, internet disruptions further complicate cybersecurity. Initiatives like Pakistan’s national internet firewall cause connectivity issues and these disruptions hinder response times during potential attacks.

Our Take

The growing sophistication of cyber threats demands immediate action. Unfortunately, many Pakistani businesses still lack the resources or awareness to counter these threats. While training and basic security measures are essential, broader systemic issues remain including unreliable internet access and costly cybersecurity tools. However, by staying proactive, Pakistani businesses can mitigate these risks. To counter phishing attacks, awareness, robust security practices, and quick action hold the key.

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